If I have to explain who Hermione Granger is… sigh. She's a character from the Harry Potter series, for those somehow not in the know.

"Two Hermiones"

There were rumours that a new SHIELD was rising. Maria was saying nothing, no matter what Natasha tried, which was a personal blow to her self-esteem. Clint said that he didn't care anymore, that he just wanted to get on with his post-SHIELD life. That without Coulson having their back, it didn't matter. She'd known he took it badly, but hadn't realised the extent until he dropped off the radar long before HYDRA-Gate.

What she told Steve was true. She only pretended to know everything. Clint used to joke that she was like Sherlock Holmes, that she could work out a person's entire life story from tiny details. She pointed out that they were trained to be observant, and that he could do it with practise.

Natasha's talent was making contacts and getting information. She used all her skills to search for any suspicious activity in the intelligence community. Sharon Carter had gone to the CIA, and promised to let Natasha know anything that she could, but that was just another way of saying that she'd keep whatever secrets she had to without question. And that just wasn't good enough.

She'd skulked in one place long enough, perhaps longer than was wise. That was confirmed when an Asian woman in black leather clothes walked up to her. Natasha had seen her before, even though they'd never spoken, and tensed, ready for a fight.

"You'd better come with me, Miss Romanov," she said.

"Who are you?" Natasha asked, expecting an alias.

"Agent Melinda May of SHIELD."

"You're the Ca—"

"Don't call me the Cavalry. You want answers? You follow me."

With no other choice, she followed Agent May. She considered notifying Clint, but he was still touchy about the subject, and she had a feeling that this opportunity to gain information would quickly disappear if she made a wrong move.

"What's the deal?" Natasha asked after they entered a building. May gave her a look which shut her up. She waited until they were through a secure doorway – with a voice system that sounded an awful lot like Phil Coulson – to try again. "Is SHIELD back up and running? Does Fury know? How are you vetting new agents?"

"I thought you knew everything, like Hermione Granger," May said, leading her through corridors which all looked the same.

"How else do I find information unless I ask the right questions?" Natasha riposted. May half-smiled.

"So you were out there on a hunch?" she said.

"No." Natasha was offended. "I used what information I could find to draw the right conclusions."

"We laid the trail for you to put the pieces together."

She nearly walked into a wall. "What?"

"The director felt it was time for you to be let in on the secret, assuming you know how to keep your mouth shut until the right time. He trusts you."

"But that doesn't mean you have to," Natasha guessed. May nodded. "Who's the director?"

"You'll see soon enough."

"Is he trustworthy?"

May arched an eyebrow as they rounded a corner. "Fury appointed him personally."

"He did?" They entered a large garage area, with a few cars and a couple of planes, as well as other equipment. It was like an industrial-sized version of Tony Stark's garage, with fewer vintage cars. There was only one of those here.

"He's around somewhere," May said, her eyes constantly on the move. Natasha frowned.

"Who would Fury trust enough to rebuild SHIELD from the ground?" she asked.

"You tell me."

"Male, so not Maria. I know his first choice would've been…" She trailed off, swallowing. "But he's dead, so—"

"Who?" May asked.

Natasha wanted to say it, but she couldn't. Something in May's eyes, though, seemed to be challenging Natasha. To guess the director's identity? Fury, the spymaster, the lie-master…

Lies…

"Phil," she whispered. May's head jerked imperceptibly. Natasha drew in a shaky breath, and began to run. Searching behind and inside vehicles. Keeping her feet light and her eyes sharp, until she heard familiar footsteps. She nearly skidded around a tall cage and saw him.

"Hello, Natasha."

Bastard.

Natasha ran at him, not sure where to strike first. In the end, she threw her arms around his shoulders and held on, fully aware of the tears spilling from her eyes and unable to give a damn. Phil Coulson was alive, and he was here, and he was holding her, stroking her hair and whispering reassurances. She wanted to hit him, to hate him, but… she couldn't. Because it was Coulson, and he wasn't dead anymore.

"It's okay," he murmured. "It's okay. Don't cry, Natasha."

"I'm not crying."

He chuckled wetly. "Of course not. Neither am I."

It took a few hours, a lot of water (and some vodka), and many questions before Natasha had the full story from Phil. They sat side-by-side on a sofa, not quite touching but still close. She needed the nearness to make sure that this wasn't a dream.

"You could've come to us," she said after he finished, and helped himself to another glass of water. "We would've helped you."

"And said what?"

"What you just told me?"

"How about you help me write the Cliff's Notes version," he said, that sparkle of humour still there despite everything life – and Fury – had thrown at him. "God, I missed you, Natasha. It feels right, having you here now."

"You won't let me tell the others?"

"I don't… I don't know how. I wasn't even sure how you'd react."

"Did you intend to gauge their reactions based on mine?"

He winced. "Maybe?"

"Phil."

"All of you have trust issues."

"But we love you."

He gave her a strange look. "What?"

"Barton and I, you're part of our family. Thor considers you a friend—"

"So Lady Sif told me."

"And Pepper mourned you. Hey." She elbowed him. "Captain Rogers still has your cards. He signed them a little late, but he has them with him all the time. I asked him why, after I found out, and he said that it reminded him of why he had to fight."

"Shit." He looked pained. "Now I can't reveal myself."

"Yes, you can. Bucky Barnes is alive; I don't think Steve would take it too badly if it turned out that you'd survived, as well."

"If you can call this survival." He cocked his head. "Dictionary definition of survival, I suppose. Now go." He nudged her. "Have a look around the base. I already cleared you with the Koenig brothers, so you shouldn't be bothered for a lanyard. After all, we use the lie detector Fury built."

"The one I can't beat?"

"That's the one." She reached the door before he spoke again. "Did you beat it?"

She smiled mysteriously, and he chuckled.

Phil had told her everything about his team, so she recognised them on sight. Bobbi Morse she'd met, of course, but she'd never met Hunter. When she saw them emerge from a room completely dishevelled, she just rolled her eyes, and waved as she passed. The curly-haired engineer with his soulmate, the tall mechanic – hell, he was taller than Thor – stopped talking when she approached them to say hello. She didn't linger, not eager to cause Fitz any stress. No sign of the other members of the team, but she knew where one of them might be. The English genius who preferred studying to socialising.

Sure enough, she was in one of the labs, examining something through a microscope. Natasha silently perched on a stool and watched the pretty young woman as she pushed a clump of hair out of the way, before turning one of the knobs. She pulled back to make a note on a tablet, and Natasha cleared her throat. Dr. Simmons jumped with a squeak, and turned around. She gaped, her gaze travelling up and down Natasha's body.

"You're the Hermione of the team, aren't you?" Natasha said. She wasn't expecting the doctor to gasp and then back into the bench. She turned to steady the flasks, and Natasha noticed the way her hands trembled. She slipped off the stool and went to stand next to the jumpy agent. "I'm sorry. I should've made more noise when I entered the room. I didn't want to disturb you." Simmons shook her head. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No, don't!" Natasha arched an eyebrow.

"I'm not that exciting to have around when there's science happening," she said. The young woman face-palmed.

"I should've said something more interesting," she muttered to herself. Then she met Natasha's eyes. "Um… I don't suppose you have 'No, don't!' written on your body?"

Natasha immediately went on the defensive. "That's classi… fied." Her eyes widened as Simmons took a step back. "Why do you ask?"

She sighed. "Because you said my soulmark… that's all."

"Show me." Natasha flinched when she recognised the sharpness in her tone. "I mean, please. May I see it?"

"Oh. That's, uh, a bit awkward." Jemma – Natasha had to use her first name, they were soulmates – blushed. "Um…" She closed the blinds and faced away from the security camera, before unbuttoning her blouse. Natasha absently licked her lips, and Jemma fumbled a button. But she continued until the front was open, and then pulled down the left cup of her bra. Natasha's breath caught, and she smiled slowly. Jemma went to cover herself, and Natasha grabbed her wrist.

"Don't," she said. "Do you have makeup remover?"

"There… there are tissues over there."

Natasha plucked a couple from a box. She moistened a patch and wiped off as much of her lipstick as she could, displaying the words on her lips.

"How sensitive is your skin?" she asked, licking the last bit away.

Jemma was on her in an instant. They were nearly the same height, and Natasha definitely had more muscle on her, but she was pressed against a bench within seconds, outside of the dominant role. She didn't care either way, and chalked it up to enthusiasm as Jemma tilted their heads, cupping Natasha's cheeks in her hands. Natasha pushed the blouse open, crossed her arms behind Jemma's back, and pulled her closer. Jemma moaned softly, and Natasha broke the kiss.

"Want to take this somewhere else?" she asked.

"I… I need to put the samples away first…"

"You do that. I'd better call Phil. Tell him I'm in."

"In?"

Natasha smiled, and tucked a curl of Jemma's hair back, lingering on her earlobe. "What do you think? SHIELD, sweetheart. So I can be with you."

Jemma's smile was radiant.

Needed something nice and sweet and single-shipped.

When I watched Cap 2 with my mother recently, Natasha's line about only pretending to know everything made me think of Hermione Granger being called a know-it-all. Then there was Simmons' comment in the pilot of AoS about not being Hermione. I figured that it might've been a nickname, and decided it'd be cute to bring the two of them together with a soulmark containing 'Hermione'.

Natasha can't be a hundred percent cold. We've seen her shaken too many times for her to be completely stoic. I hope she doesn't seem too OOC in this, but I just… love the thought of her breaking down when she finds out that Coulson is alive.

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